1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to mattresses and more particularly to a system and method for mounting a mattress cover to a mattress core.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
For many years mattresses were constructed and assembled at factory locations by skilled personnel using specially designed equipment. When the inner components of the mattress had to be repaired or replaced, the mattress was shipped back to the factory where such work was performed. This was inconvenient because provision had to be made to do without the mattresses being renovated and could also be expensive for commercial applications such as hotels, hospitals, and the like where replacement mattresses had to be provided or the room could not be used. Another drawback with factory renovation is that a substantial proportion of the cost of renovation was absorbed by the shipment costs because mattresses are bulky and are subject to damage when stacked or otherwise improperly loaded. The work at the factory is expensive because it required skilled personnel using specialized equipment often taken off the mattress construction workline.
Many attempts have been made to eliminate the need for returning mattresses to the factory for renovation and repair. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,882,538 to Wunderlich discloses a mattress cover which is zipped around and fastened to the mattress core utilizing a plurality of spaced, pre-positioned fasteners. While the use of this mattress and other similar mattresses often permitted a certain amount of renovation and repair to be performed on site by unskilled personnel, the provision of such pre-positioned fasteners was expensive and necessarily limited the versatility of the fastening system because the positioning and number of fasteners was predetermined without consideration being given to the intended usage conditions of a particular mattress. Also, in actually assembling Wunderlich's mattress, the mattress cover and mattress core had to be perfectly aligned, often complicating the mattress assembly procedure and possibly requiring that skilled personnel or specialized tools be utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,375,061 to Nyhus utilizes a button-like, pronged fastener which, in combination with a pair of flat washers, is used to affix a mattress spring to upper and lower mattress core panels. However, Nyhus does not disclose that this fastener may be usable to mount a mattress cover to a mattress core.
Another prior art attempt to solve the above problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,800 to Garshfield. This patent discloses a mattress having two flanged mattress cover halves which are zipped to one another to encompass the mattress core. While this mattress may permit assembly by unskilled personnel and without requiring the use of specialized equipment, Garshfield's system necessitates the use of a specially designed mattress cover having mattress flanges which can add dramatically to the cost. Moreover, Garshfield's mattress cover is not actually affixed to the mattress core, but only encompasses the core. Therefore, it is possible that a certain amount of sliding would take place between the mattress cover and the core, particularly during shipment, which can result in damage to the mattress cover.
Hence, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved mattress cover mounting system which effectively and reliably overcomes the aforementioned limitations and drawbacks of the prior art proposals. More specifically, the present invention has as its objects one or more of the following taken individually or in combination:
(1) The provision of a system for mounting a mattress cover to a mattress which permits the mattress cover to be mounted to and removed from the mattress core by unskilled personnel, on site, without having to use specially designed equipment;
(2) To develop a method for mounting a mattress cover to a mattress core which does not require the use of pre-positioned fasteners which can be expensive and which can complicate the assembly procedure;
(3) To provide a mattress cover mounting system in which a conventionally designed mattress cover may be mounted to the mattress core; and
(4) The provision of a system for mounting a mattress cover to a mattress core in which the mattress cover is affixed to the mattress core so that no relative movement takes place between the cover and the core.